Bottle support



NOV- 22, 1966 P. FREscoBALDl 3,286,969

BOTTLE SUPPORT Filed Aug. 18, 1964 Fig.1 *i Fig.1A

United States Patent O 3,286,969 BOl'ILE SUPPORT Piero Frescobaldi, deceased, late of Florence, Italy, by Dino Frescobaldi, legal representative, 13 Via S. Spirito, Florence, Italy Filed Aug. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 391,074 Claims priority, application Italy, Aug. 28, 1963, 4,556/ 63 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-359) The present invention relates to a support for maintaining a bottle in Ian inclined position or close to the pouring position, especially a bottle containing a valuable wine, for the purpose of avoiding agitation, which may cause clouding of the wine.

The support comprises a ring member which grips the bottle and a binged support member. One end of the support member is pivotally connected 'between two ear portions of the ring member and is movable between an extended position wherein it operates as a support and a retracted position wherein it is close to the side of the bottle. The support member is of arcuate transverse cross-sectional configuration so that it conforms to the curvature of the side of the bottle when placed in its retracted position.

Various objects, features and vadvantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification with reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of -a bottle with a supporting device in accordance with the invention secured thereto, the support being in its retracted position.

FIGURE 1A is a rear elevational View of the bottle and support member shown in FIG. l.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the bott-le and support member of FIGS. 1 and 1A, the support being in its extended position with the bottle resting in yan inclined position upon a horizontal supporting surface.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view in elevation of the ring member and support member taken along the line IH--HI of FIG. 4, looking -in the direction of the arrows, the support member 'being in its retracted position and the bottle being omitted.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of the ring member and support member shown in FIG. 3.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged exploded fragmentary plan view, partly broken away and shown in section, illustrating the pivotal connection between the ring member and the support member.

FIGURE 6 is a plan view, partly broken away and shown in section, of the ring member and support member shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A, -a ring member 1 is clamped around the cylindrical lateral surface of the body portion of a bottle B at a location which is below the neck portion of the lbottle and above its center of gravity when the bottle is full. The ring member is thus secured to the bottle by friction-al engagement with the cylindrical lateral surface thereof.

A support member 3 is pivoted to the ring member 1 by a pivot screw 2. The ends :of the ring member 1 are bent to form two confronting spaced parallel ear portions 1a. A clearance hole 1b is formed in one of the ear portions 1a and an interiorly threaded hole 1c is formed in the other e-ar portion to receive the threaded end portion 2a of the pivot pin 2.

Near the upper end of the support member 3, an integrally formed bridge portion 3a is provided. 'Ihe bridge portion 3a is formed by producing two parallel slits and pressing the material between the slits to define an open- 3,286,969 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 ice ing 4 wherein the pivot screw 2 may be received. The support member 3 is bent along -a horizontal line at 5 and is -at above Ithe line 5. Below the line 5, the support member 3 is of arcuate cross-sectional configuration so that it may conform closely to the iouter |lateral surface of the bottle B when in its retracted position as shown in FIG. 1.

The ear portions 1a of the ring member 1 have rounded ends 6 which slidably engage the upper flat portion of the support member 3 as Ishown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the curvature of the ends 6 lbeing Iconcentric with the longitudinal axis of the pivot pin 2.

In operation, the ring member 1 is clamped to the bottle B as shown in FIGS. 1 and lA, above the center of gravity of the filled bottle, the support member being in its retracted position. When it is desired to pour the wine from the bottle B, the support member 3 is moved toits extended position shown in FIG. 2, wherein its upper edge 3b enga-ges the side of the bottle, thereby acting as a stop. The bottle is placed on .a tab-le or other horizontal supporting surface where -it is maintained in an inclined position. As closely shown in FIG. 2, only a slight angular displacement of the bottle B is required to pour its contents. The lower corners of the support member 3, at opposite ends -of its lower edge 3c serve as two pivot points for angular pouring displacement of the bottle about a pivotal axis defined by `a line passing through the corners. An edge portion 7 of the base of the bottle B forms a third support point when the bottle is in its non-pouring inclined position illustrated in FIG. 2. Because the ring member 1 is above the center `of 4gravity of the bottle, the position of FIG. 2 is a position of stability.

While I have shown and described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spi-rit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination: a bottle having a neck portion and Ia body portion with a cylindrical outer lateral surface; a support member comprising an integrally formed bridge portion defining an `opening the axis of which extends transversely of said supp-ort member and perpendicularly with respect to the longitudinal axis of said bottle near one end of said support member; an interrupted ring member partially encircling said body portion and having con-fronting spaced parallel ear portions at its ends; a pivot pin exetnding freely revolubly through one of said ear portions into threaded engagement with the other ear portion for tightening said ring member into frictional engagement with said body portion, lsai-d pin passing through said opening coaxially therewith and freely revolubly with respect to said support member, whereby said support member may be angularly displaced between a retracted position wherein said support member extends generally axially of said bottle in proximity to said lateral surface and an extended position wherein said support member extends -outwardly from said lateral surface generally perpendicularly to the axis thereof, said support being widened at its other end to define two spaced corners which, together with the ybottom edge portion of said body portion, provide a three point support for said bottle when placed on a horizontal supporting surface with said support member in its extended position, said bottle being maintained in an inclined position [from which it may be angularly displaced to pour the contents from said bottle `by pivotal movement `about an axis defined by a line passing through said corners.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein the transverse cross-sectional configuration of said support member is arcuate intermediate said other end and said pivot pin for causing said support member to conform to the curvature of said lateral surface of said bottle with said support member in said retracted position.

3. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said support member extends away from said other end beyond said pivot pin to form la. stop which engages said lateral surface when said support member is in said extended position.`

4. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said Y 4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES `PATENTS i 989,386 4/1911 Miller 248-88 994,005 5/1911 Jones 248-88 f 2,159,932 5/ 1939 Muldoon 248-359 2,526,981 10/ 1950 Von Beck 248-38 2,662,962 12/ 1953 Green 219-121 FOREIGN PATENTS 247,363 2/ 1947 Switzerland.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: A BOTTLE HAVING A NECK PORTION AND A BODY PORTION WITH A CYLINDRICAL OUTER LATERAL SURFACE; A SUPPORT MEMBER COMPRISING AN INTEGRALLY FORMED BRIDGE PORTION DEFINING AN OPENING THE AXIS OF SAID BOTTLE NEAR TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER AN PERIPENDICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID BOTTLE NEAR ONE END OF SAID SUPPORT MEMBER; AN INTERRUPTED RING MEMBER PARTIALLY ENCIRCLING SAID BODY PORTIONS AT ITS ENDS; A CONFRONTING SPACED PARALLEL EAR PORTIONS AT ITS ENDS; A PIVOT PIN EXTENDING FREELY REVOLUBLY THROUGH ONE OF SAID EAR PORTIONS INTO THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER EAR PORTION FOR TIGHTENING SAID RING MEMBER INTO FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID BODY PORTION, SAID PIN PASSING THROUGH SAID OPENING COAXIALLY THEREWITH AND FREELY REVOLUBLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SUPPORT MEMBER, WHEREBY SAID SUPPORT MEMBER MAY BE ANGULARLY DISPLACED BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION WHEREIN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER EXTENDS GENERALLY AXIALLY OF SAID BOTTOM IN PROXIMITY TO SAID LATERAL SURFACE AND AN EXTENDED POSITON WHEREIN SAID SUPPORT MEMBER EXTENDS OUTWARDLY FROM SAID LATERAL SURFACE GENERALLY PERPENDICULARLY TO THE AXIS THEREOF, SAID SUPPORT BEING WIDENED AT ITS OTHER END TO DEFINE TWO SPACED CORNERS WHICH, TOGETHER WITH THE BOTTOM EDGE PORTION OF SAID BODY PORTION, PROVIDE A THREE POINT SUPPORT FOR SAID BOTTLE WHEN PLACED ON A HORIZONTAL SUPPORTING SURFACE WITH SAID SUPPORT MEMBER IN ITS EXTENDED POSITION, SAID BOTTLE BEING MAINTAINED IN AN INCLINED POSITION FROM WHICH IT MAY BE ANGULARLY DISPLACED TO POUR THE CONTENTS FROM SAID BOTTLE BY PIVOTAL MOVEMENT ABOUT AN AXIS DEFINED BY A LINE PASSING THROUGH SAID CORNERS. 